Windswept Clouds

21st August, 2009: Posted by glpease in Pipes

There is playfulness and joy in so many of the Le Nuvole pipes of Maurizio Tombari, and it simply has to be that way. He and his wife, Stefania, who designs many of the shapes, are such delightful and lovely people, that something of them simply must come through in the pipes. The piece shown, a sort of windswept pot/billiard, reminiscent in some ways of the Castello 55 shape, is a beautiful example of this. Its form is elegant yet dynamic, strong, yet delicate and graceful, all while exhibiting that little bit of joyful whimsy that characterizes so much of Maurizio’s work. It’s what a 55 would choose to be if it were allowed to take flight on its own wings and soar amongst the clouds. Read more…»

Review of the Day - Abingdon

12th August, 2009: Posted by glpease in Review of the Day

Tim K. noticed this one, and called it to my attention. The author writes under the sobriquet of Sinister Topiary; that alone is enough to make me want to read everything he’s written on the TR site. Seriously. How can you not like someone who calls himself Sinister Topiary? I can’t be alone in this, can I? And, I’ll gladly forgive him his error about the tin size. [They’re 2oz tins, Sin; a full 13% more tobacco than the scrawny 50g tins other people sell.]

Enough rambling. The review is an absolute joy to read. His descriptions are evocative and he effectively uses his obvious gift for narrative to illuminate the development of his relationship with the tobacco, bringing us something that goes far deeper than the much more typical “tastes like chicken” pulp. In a word, it’s brilliant. I’ll shut up now, so you can read the review. Enjoy. Read more…»